


It's Not Rocket Science

by aHostileRainbow



Series: Mostly BAMF: A Collection of Small Fries Kicking Ass (Literally or Figuratively) [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: BAMF Harley, Gen, Kidnapping, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-30
Updated: 2016-04-30
Packaged: 2018-06-05 09:46:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6699967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aHostileRainbow/pseuds/aHostileRainbow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"When a little boy's face appeared on the CNN news report, declared missing after an unexplained explosion at his Tennessee home, Steve thought nothing of it except, <i>poor kid</i>."</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's Not Rocket Science

When a little boy's face appeared on the CNN news report, declared missing after an unexplained explosion at his Tennessee home, Steve thought nothing of it except,  _poor kid_.

The sound of someone choking behind him got his full attention, though. He turned to find Stark staring at the television screen as if he'd never seen it before, finally swallowing around the bite of sandwich he'd taken before walking into the room.

As Steve watched, bewildered, a string of unfamiliar expressions passed over Stark's face. Abruptly, he dropped his sandwich on a coaster and stalked out. About to ask, Steve hesitated, turning back to the news report and trying to figure out what could have earned that reaction from Stark - there was no way one missing kid would merit that much emotion from his famously heartless teammate, even if that kid had a rather odd name.

Harley Keener. Very odd.

* * *

Tony hadn't been this thrown by anything on his television since the Mandarin debacle and it was a rough pill to swallow again.

"JARVIS," he spoke up as soon as he had safely locked himself in his lab, "Buddy, I need everything they have on a missing kid from Tennessee called Harley Keener, and I need it yesterday."

"Of course, Sir." He loved his AI, he really did, because no one else would pick up on the tension in his voice and face and just _act_  to _help him_  handle it without needing pointless questions to catch them up.

Within another heartbeat, copies of police reports, news broadcasts and paper articles were streaming over a holographic screen in front of him. Quickly, with the unfortunate ease of familiarity, Tony read and listened, paying attention to the details that would have little meaning to anyone else in the chaos.

A cartoon watch had been found, stained with blood and half-melted in the garage.

A Starkphone, surprisingly new and well-cared for, had been discovered in a sealed drawer by the front door. A single unsent text message saved: _Only five shadows_. It was addressed to an unknown number marked as speed dial one.

Last, and worst, Tony considered the smoke and fire damage around the identified epicenter of the explosion. Spreading out from the middle of the kitchen, where an old-fashioned gas stove had been stored under the center table, streaks and cracks marred wood and metal. Intimate familiarity with the cause of those marks let Tony picture the scene with ruthless clarity.

In every Iron Man suit but one, there was a small, last-ditch defense, a miniaturized bomb meant to be almost entirely flash and smoke, a scare tactic and an escape only. But, as he well knew, a clever man (or child) would know that there could be no smoke without fire and enough fuel could make a small fire very much a big problem.

Well. He had told the kid it would take care of bullies.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I've been hoarding drabbles and oneshots from various fandoms for years and I decided to put some of these bad boys out there. Will mainly feature BAMFness and angst, few if any pairings but lots of friendship, and some crossovers. I might also put out some prompts, in case anyone's interested.
> 
> Please consider all of these ideas up for adoption (with notice, please).


End file.
